FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT - PAGE 2

As promised, Florida's new unemployment benefits system -- Connect -- is up and operating today, Oct. 15. But almost immediately, job seekers trying to file on the system said they were experienced problems. Several posted their complaints on Twitter and a Facebook page that Florida set up to respond to problems. Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity took down the old system last Wednesday, saying it was installing a newer technology system that would be running by noon Oct. 15. To file a claim for unemployment benefits -- or check on a claim -- go to the usual website, www.floridajobs.org . Under the "job seekers" tab, click on CONNECT.

The House of Representatives is leaving for Thanksgiving break without passing a proposed three-month renewal of federal unemployment insurance. The National Employment Law Project is calling for a full-year renewal of the existing programs. "Everything we know about unemployment, the economy and the costs and benefits of federal unemployment insurance dictates renewing the programs for a full year  and ending the game of chicken Congress has played with America's unemployed workers, their families and communities for the last several months," said Christine Owens, executive director of NELP.

A Florida House bill that changes the qualifications for unemployment compensation in the state was approved by the Economic Development and Tourism Subcommittee on Thursday. The bill would trim the number of paid unemployment weeks from the nationwide standard of 26 weeks to 20 weeks, tighten the qualification for unemployment compensation, disqualifies residents who receive severance pay from benefits, and redefines denial of benefits for "misconduct" to outside the workplace, among other changes.

While we are sensitive to the challenges being faced by unemployed Floridians during this time of economic recovery, there were some factual errors that should be corrected in Michael Mayo 's Aug. 13 column, "Florida halts benefits and demands repayment from some unemployed. " Mr. Mayo's column perpetuates a common misunderstanding that a state's unemployment rate is directly tied to the number of people receiving unemployment compensation benefits. That is not accurate. National and state unemployment rates are determined primarily by the Current Population Survey, a household survey collected by the U.S Census Bureau.

Community activist organizations are organizing a rally and press conference 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, on the Capitol steps in Tallahassee. They plan to appeal to Gov. Crist to issue an executive order to modernize Florida's unemployment system. States were given options by the federal government to include more unemployed workers in order to receive federal dollars. Florida is eligible to receive more than $440 million, but bills to expand the program in the state Legislature have not made it out of committee.

A bill voted out of the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday would allow states to transfer federal unemployment insurance funds away from helping the long-term jobless and use them instead for other purposes, including tax breaks for corporations. The legislation, dubbed the Jobs Act by its sponsors, Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R- Utah, sets the stage to strip away insurance benefits that the long-term unemployed need,...

Mark Wampole figures his weekly unemployment checks are the only thing saving him from homelessness, and he grows frustrated when he hears of proposals by state lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott to tighten eligibility for unemployment compensation. "Without it, I'd starve," said Wampole, a laid-off welder who lives in Palm Beach County . "I'd have to live under a bridge and hope I could find somebody to feed me. It's that serious. " Job seekers surviving on unemployment benefits that top out at $275 a week aren't the only ones facing a financial squeeze.

It was Florida v. Michigan in the U.S. Senate Wednesday, and Florida stopped Michigan from moving ahead with a Tier 5. The "Americans Want to Work" act, which offered the long-term unemployed a Tier 5 benefit extension, was objected to on Wednesday by Sen. George LeMieux, R-FL. The Florida Senator said he was objecting on the basis that it could mean further a further increase to the nation's deficit , leaving our children and grandchildren with more debt to pay. Senate bill 3706 was proposed by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

The U.S. House of Representatives postponed its vote Thursday afternoon on the tax-cut, unemployment benefits legislation. The legislation includes a 13-month extension of unemployment benefits for those who have received lonly 26 weeks of state benefits and those who were in the middle of their federal emergency tiers when benefits ended Nov. 30. AP and Reuters is reporting that the delay came after Democrats scrambled to find the votes of majority...

With the economy as bad as it is, jobs are hard to find and bills are long overdue. A lot of Americans rely on unemployment benefits to help them survive. Congress is considering whether to renew lapsed benefits. If they are renewed, it would make a lot of Americans become unproductive. A lot of people are taking advantage of the free money by not actually getting up and building themselves a better resume, volunteering at a shelter or going back to school. Little by little, the economy is getting better, and although there aren't a lot of jobs available, there still are other opportunities out there to help you get one step closer to a job. The unemployment rate hasn't risen in the past few months.